The saying "The customer is the king (or queen)" captures the essence of business. The seller must market the product, i.e., to convince buyers that they must have this product. If buyers already desire the product, marketing becomes easier, and vice versa. Since marketing is crucial for sales, the seller is at the buyers' mercy.
In a way, modern Christianity and evangelism have turned into an art of selling Jesus. Believers (sellers) market Jesus, while non-believers (buyers) hesitate to accept Him.
Believers deeply understand the transformative power of Jesus and earnestly desire for others to experience it too. So, they make clever points, pushing the ‘effective buttons’ and appealing to emotions, among other tactics. Non-believers, however, reasons that they have fared well enough on their own. So, they don’t need someone to ‘lord’ their lives. But, if Jesus could take the backseat in their lives, perhaps they may consider having Him.
Oh, how we’ve all gotten it all wrong! Regardless of what side we’re on, this selling of and bargaining with Jesus fools us into thinking that He is at our mercy. We prey on His kindness and humility and think we can toss Him around, accepting and ignoring Him at the whims of our comfort.
But this Jesus, though, He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him and was a despised, rejected man of sorrows, He is the resurrection and life (Isaiah 53:2-3; John 11:25). He is the image and the fullness of the invisible God in the flesh (Col 1:15; 2:9). All things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He is exalted to the highest place, bearing the name above every name at which every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord (Col 1:16; Phil 2:9-10).
Translation: Jesus is not at our mercy. We, all of creation, are utterly and completely at His mercy. Knowing Him is not a favor we do for God; it is a grace extended to us. Making Him known is not a task we undertake; it is a privilege granted to us.
We can't market Jesus. He doesn’t need us to make Him attractive enough for the world, and the world can't negotiate His terms. He is the Lord, for heaven’s sake! What we, believers and non-believers alike, need is the Holy Spirit. The One who makes Jesus real and shows us the magnitude of our need for a Savior, and, by so doing, puts us in our place. And believe me, we need that!
So, what am I saying? That believers shouldn't evangelize? Of course, not! Our directive is to reach the nations (Matt 28:19-20) for faith comes from hearing, and how can they hear if no one has told them (Rom 10:14, 17)?
So, let’s go! Not in our strength, cleverness, or eloquence but in Jesus’ meekness and lowliness. Go in the Holy Spirit’s power and conviction. Go with the Father’s compassion and patience to see everyone saved. Go in prayer for the ones we’ve thought about reaching but even more so for the ones that haven’t crossed our minds. Go but get out of the way for God to do what only He can do.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts. – Psalm 95:6-8
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